MILL CREEK — If last Tuesday’s dual meet with Shorewood was a test to see how the season is going for the Jackson girls swim team, then the Timberwolves easily passed.

The Wolfpack scored a 96-73 victory over the Thunderbirds in a Western Conference 4A South Division dual meet at the Mill Creek Pool.

Sophomore Amber Pleasant won the 50- and 100-yard freestyles and swam on the winning 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams, as Jackson improved to 3-0 in the league and 6-0 overall.

Junior Emily Rogers finished first in the 200 individual medley, second in the 100 breaststroke and swam on the 200 freestyle relay team.

“We were just going for our best times, our best effort,” Pleasant said. “We wanted to win but it was really more about just giving our best effort and encouraging each other and I think we did a really good job of that today.”

Pleasant clocked in with state qualifying times in both the 50 and 100 freestyles and would like to make it in a couple of other events before the end of the regular season.

Rogers already has a state time in the 200 individual medley and expects to add the 100 breaststroke to her list shortly.

“I’m trying to get my breaststroke to be better because it doesn’t feel right,” Rogers said. “Usually I can go a couple seconds faster.”

Her overall times are ahead of last year at this point of the season.

“I’m glad that I’m improving and I know that I can go faster later in the season,” Rogers said.

Other individual winners for Jackson included Angie Wang in the 100 butterfly and Lindsey Pagard in the 500 freestyle

Shorewood was Jackson’s toughest opponent so far and Rogers anticipated the Thunderbirds would bring out the best in the Wolfpack.

“We knew it would be really hard and that we’d have to pull through as a team,” Rogers said. “Everyone is working really hard and improving.”

Jackson coach Drew Whorley had trouble spotlighting any specific individuals on his team.

“The whole thing was a highlight,” he said. “This was I’d say our first real test.”

Whorley, however, didn’t talk much about the meet because in the grand scheme of the season, winning or losing the meet wasn’t the point.

“What we’re looking for is what we’re looking for every time we get up on the blocks … to keep getting faster,” Whorley said.

A spirited rivalry has developed between Jackson and Shorewood.

“Both teams get really fired up for it and today that certainly was the case,” Whorley said. “There was just an exceptional amount of energy on the pool deck.”

Jackson’s top tier swimmers, such as Pleasant and Rogers, saw stiff challenges by Shorewood’s best swimmers. But all of the Timberwolves benefited from going up against one of the top teams in the South Division. The Thunderbirds not only have talent up front but up and down their lineup, Whorley said.

“They really matched up well against us,” he added. “In all the races, everybody has somebody to compete against, whether you’re racing for first through fifth place. There was a race everywhere. That makes it exciting. Every swimmer in all the heats was challenged.”